Peter Reese Doyle - Hot Pursuit on the High Seas (Daring Adventure)

Hot Pursuit on the High Seas

by Peter Reese Doyle

Hot Pursuit on the High Seas

Copyright 1994 by Peter Reese Doyle. All rights reserved.

International copyright secured.

Published by Peter Reese Doyle, Opelika, Alabama

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise - without prior permission of the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction, and any resemblance between the characters in this book and real persons is coincidental.

11 / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

With Thanks to God

For

Austin Kelvin Doyle

(1898-1970)

Admiral, United States Navy

A model of integrity and courage

The whole nation came to a halt. In homes, in shops, in offices, and in warehouses - wherever people could find a television set - work ceased. Even the schools had suspended their normal classes so that children and their teachers could watch the dramatic event by television.

And what a dramatic event it was: the transfer of some of Greece's most priceless ancient treasures from the National Archaeological Museum of Athens to a ship that would take them to be displayed in the British Museum in London!

Tens of millions of people throughout Europe watched their TV sets in awe as the assembled cameras focused on the Athenian museum. Untold millions saw the city officials gathered behind the assistant director of the museum as that commanding figure described the irreplaceable historic treasures that Athens was lending to the British Museum.

Built by Ludwig Lange in 1860, the National Archaeological Museum of Athens contained the finest collection of Greek art in the world. The riches within its galleries defy monetary calculation, not only because of their priceless workmanship but also because of the Classical Greek history the treasures represented.

The museum's director was consequently one of the most important men in Athens. However, a conference of museum directors in Sweden had forced him to delegate to his trusted assistant, Andropous Lycenus, all of the arrangements for lending some of the museum's treasures to the British Museum. So the director had not concerned himself with the complex security arrangements his assistant had devised. He was not present at the press conference held at the loading entrance of the museum. He was not there to witness the guarded transfer of the irreplaceable Greek artifacts from the museum to the gleaming white van that would take them to the waiting ship.

He did not see the police cars and motorcycles that both preceded and followed the van when it arrived at the museum. Nor did he witness the elaborate signing in full view of the television cameras for the twelve barrels containing the treasures. He did not see their removal from the storage room of the museum to the waiting vehicle. Why should the director of the museum concern himself with such details when he had an assistant director of the caliber of Andropous Lycenus?

Taller than the average Greek, full-bodied and muscular, of swarthy complexion, Andropous Lycenus possessed a long distinguished-looking face and a magnificent moustache. He was an orator. When dealing with the press, he was both gracious and eloquent. From the museum's point of view, he was a public relations dream come true.

He stood before the assembled people and, through the wonders of television, before much of Europe. Elegant in white suit and blue silk tie, he seemed to sum up in his very person the historic glory of his nation. His bearing captivated his international audience. The transfer of the priceless art treasures had been well publicized, and millions were glued to their television sets to witness the event. Shops and offices throughout the country came to a standstill; all of Greece was watching.

Andropous Lycenus stalked majestically before the barrels containing the treasures. He stood elegantly beside the platforms as the barrels were loaded into the van, and he signed with a flourish the documents releasing the art into the hands of the company responsible for their shipment to London.

His speech - apparently informal but actually carefully crafted - lived up to the expectations of the press. Modestly giving credit to the museums director, he in fact drew full attention to himself. He spoke confidently and directly into the assembled battery of microphones and television cameras.

All Greece swelled with pride as Lycenus spoke. The history of the nation passed through the minds of his fellow citizens as he portrayed the great glories of their past. Then he described with brief eloquence some of the outstanding golden treasures that had just been loaded into the van.

What treasures these were, he told them! The famous king's Golden Mask from the year 1200 B.C.; the gold cups, gold vases, gold jewelry - priceless objects all! He paused; then he told of the two golden cups of Sparta, dating from the fifteenth century B.C.!

The whole exhibit was contained in a dozen carefully packed barrels. Not a large exhibit, but a noble one, a majestic one, an exhibit to make a nation proud. It made Greece proud that day.

The confident orator pictured the thrill that would sweep the international crowds when they gazed upon these mementoes of Greek glory in their visits to the British Museum. Then Lycenus thanked the citizens of Greece for the privilege of serving them in his capacity as assistant to the director of the famous museum. And he choked with emotion as he admitted to the pride and the privilege of being a Greek. Even the reporters had tears in their eyes when he finished.

Andropous Lycenus turned with a flourish, waved his hand gracefully like the orators in ancient Greek history, and stood at grave attention while the caravan with Greece's artistic treasures moved away from the curb.

The massed cameras turned toward the white van as the caravan of police motorcycles and squad cars moved slowly into the boulevard along with it and drove toward the port where the treasure would be loaded for transport by ship bound to London. Somehow people knew that they were watching history move through time and space to inspire another generation by reminding them of great deeds in the past.

Gradually the van with its escort moved out of sight. Lycenus and his aides returned to their offices; the TV crews packed up their equipment and moved away; the crowd dispersed. People throughout Greece went back to work.

Consequently, there was no one present an hour later when an unmarked gray van drove to the same loading dock of the museum. The museum door opened as if by signal, and two workers proceeded to bring out a dozen barrels and load them into the waiting vehicle.

The driver reentered the van and started the engine. The vehicle pulled out from the curb, entered the flow of traffic, and disappeared from view.

Mark and Penny Daring and their friend David Curtis were beside themselves with excitement! The Olympic Airways jet that had brought them from Paris to the capital of Greece had just landed. From the air they'd seen part of the famous Acropolis, and they couldn't wait to tour the glories of ancient architecture that represented the origins of Western civilization.